Alabama advances to Round of 32 with dominant win over Charleston
No. 4-seed Alabama is moving on to the Round of 32 in the NCAA Tournament after dominating No. 13-seed Charleston 109-96 in its opening matchup on Friday night. Not only was this the Crimson Tide’s 10th game of putting up 100 or more points this season (the most of any team since 1989), but it also set a school record for most points scored in an NCAA Tournament game.
Let’s dive into it, shall we?
How It Happened
Alabama didn’t come out playing its best basketball on Friday night.
After struggling over the last month en route to losing four of their last six games, the Tide got down early. For the most part, it stayed that way over the first eight minutes, but then they started to get some stops and knock down a few shots. A 12-2 run gave them a 25-21 lead with just over nine minutes to go in the first half, and then a 16-2 run to close out the first 20 minutes gave them a commanding 51-34 lead at halftime.
Charleston once again came out strong in the second half, scoring six of the first eight points through the first couple of minutes, but another run (this time 9-2) extended Alabama’s lead even further to 20 points (62-42). From there, it was smooth sailing — or at least until late when the Tide had put in depth players, including walk-ons. This was that style of high-tempo basketball that fans have grown to love, and with their ability to hit shots (13-of-23 from deep), the nation got a chance to see what this team is capable of when they’re on their game.
Players of the Game
Veteran guard Mark Sears was back to his old self on Friday night. Don’t get me wrong, he’s continued to score at an extremely high rate over the last few weeks, but it was how he controlled this game. He scored a game-high 30 points while hitting 50% from three-point range (3-of-6), converting his first eight free throw attempts and continuing to contribute in other counting stats (four rebounds, five assists). Plus, he only turned it over once.
This was only his fourth game of scoring 30 or more points at Alabama.
It was also nice to see Latrell Wrightsell Jr. returning to previous form, as he hit 5-of-6 attempts from deep (83.3%) while scoring 17 points, bringing in four rebounds and adding one assist. This was after he went 0-for-4 against Florida in the SEC Tournament, and it’s easy to see how his shooting contributions have an impact on the outcome of games. He did have to leave briefly, but he continued to make an impact following his return.
I also want to give a shoutout to Aaron Estrada.
The Hofstra transfer scored 13 points, which is right in line with his season average of 13.5, but it was what he was able to do with other counting stats. His ability to distribute the basketball and get rebounds has been critical to Alabama’s success this season. Against Charleston, he added team-high seven rebounds and a game-high eight assists. That 15 total is the most we’ve seen from him since his triple-double (10 rebounds, 10 assists) against Ole Miss back in late February.
Lastly, I thought Mouhamed Dioubate did well with his 18 minutes.
Key Stats
Alabama’s pace-of-play was on full display against Charleston. Yes, it is concerning that the Cougars had a massive advantage in second-chance points (27-7) because UA continued to struggle at times with rebounding, but the fast-break opportunities saw the Tide finish with a massive 25-10 advantage. It really allowed the shooters to get into a rhythm and energized the defense as a whole. This team is dangerous when they’re able to play to their tempo.
What’s Next
Alabama has now advanced to the Round of 32, which means it’ll take on the winner of the St. Mary’s-Grand Canyon matchup. That game is getting ready to tipoff, so fans may want to stay up and catch some of it ahead of Sunday’s showdown. As things sit, the Gaels are 5.5-point favorites over the Lopes. We’ll know more about tipoff times and such following that game, so hang tight.
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